A Slice of Life
by Boomey Romey
Summary: "We dealt in similar situations and understood each other. A story based on a poorly written diary of mine. Suicide attempts, depression, lessons, and friendship from five years ago... That's when I met him."
1. Chapter 1

**_A/n: _**Hello! I just came up with a pretty good plot for a SasoSaku fanfic. This is more of a mellow/peaceful kind of story... So it's best to read it when you're in a peaceful mood. Relaxing music is also good idea.

_~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~_

**_Note to readers: _ **

_What you are going to read is a story based on a poorly written diary of mine. I never thought that I would publish this, but I guess I really wanted to. It's just a little slice of what my boring life is about. There's not much action or romance that would really make me famous or some form of attention that most people want. I just want to let out the burden from my shoulder that I've been holding on for too long. My name is Haruno Sakura. I'm now twenty-five years old and in this story I'm around nineteen or twenty. It all began after waking up from a failed suicide attempt. _

_From the author,_

_Sakura Haruno._

_**A Slice of Life **  
_

"Pity... I didn't die." Sakura thought to herself as her eyes fluttered open slowly seeing white walls and wires around her hearing a machine making endless beeping noises that irritatedly indicated that she is very much alive.

She hated that sound and she grew more aggravated as she heard another unpleasant sound from a witch she was to call "mother"

"Sakura..." A woman who's face resembles the pinkette rudely voices out "I can't believe you did this again, you selfish little ingrate... You're an embarrassment to me. You're already an adult, and you still play childish games like this to get my attention? What a stupid girl. I can't believe I let you into this world. If I would have known you'd become like this I should have had you aborted."

Sakura smiles at the remark that her mother repeats every time she is brought to the hospital. She wished she was never born into this world if she found out her mother was a bitch. Sakura despised her mother in many ways, so much that she didn't even react to her hurtful comments anymore.

"Did I ask to be born in this stupid world?" Sakura replies calmly as she looks out the raindrops splashing endlessly onto the windows. "I didn't ask to live. Especially under you. Why can't you just let me die now? Why bring me to the hospital?"

Her mother rolls her eyes and crosses her arms looking at her with an irritated face. "Because you would die in such a pathetic way. Why don't you just die using sleeping pills or hang yourself on the ceiling to ensure you're completely dead instead of cutting your wrists?"

"Ma'am please... Don't say such things here." The doctor says as she overhears their conversation.

"You have no right to get into our business, doctor. If you cross us, I'll write you out to the head of the hospital." The mother hissed at the doctor and began to pace out the hospital room.

The doctor sighs and nods at the older rosette and turns to Sakura smiling at her. "Well miss, you will be discharged in a matter of days so please just lie down and rest until you recover..."

Sakura turns her head from the window and looks at the doctor with a blank look in her eyes and asked bitterly, "Why did you bring me back to life? I wanted to die. I'm not crazy. So don't try that reverse psychology bullshit on me, I'm fine."

The doctor sighs and looks at Sakura again softly trying her best to get along with her. "I understand... I'll be leaving now, miss." The doctor then bows and takes his leave, leaving Sakura alone with the heart rate monitor beeping mercilessly.

~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~

A few days passed and Sakura's discharge was today. She sat up on the bed and quietly read a book peacefully. The door's knob soon turned and Sakura didn't bother glancing, knowing that it was her mother- although against her will, coming to pick her up.

"Sakura, are you feeling better? I heard the news and I was really worried..." a boy's heart warming voice came across the room, making Sakura turn her head towards the person.

"Oh! Naruto!" She says surprised.

Naruto's presence always soothed Sakura's mind. He had always been there for her ever since they were in elementary school. She had met Naruto when she was getting picked on by older students in school, and he deflected them. She was surprised on how a small kid like Naruto could put up a fight to upper class kids. Till then, they were like two peas in a pod.

"Well, Sakura... It was the talk of the week. Naturally everyone knows. After all your mother does own the college we both go to."

"Right... Sakura, the spoiled little rich girl who couldn't get what she wants and decides to commit suicide to get it. I know, I know..." the pinkette rolls her eyes and yawns turning the book's page.

"Something along those lines... Anyways, here... " The blond boy smiles and hands her a brochure of the countryside. "A ticket to the Suna village. It's quite peaceful there and I thought that maybe this is what you need."

Sakura looks at the brochure and takes it, looking at the photos and attractions and suddenly loses interest and hands it back to Naruto. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not interested. A vacation won't do me any good."

The blond boy sighs and hands it back to her, "I know you're not just throwing a tantrum because you didn't get what you want. You're not like that. I think it's depression and as a best friend... I can tell what you're suffering from. Think of this as a therapy session."

Sakura looks at Naruto with a confused face, her eyebrows furrowed at him and takes the pamphlet again. "What therapy session? How do I get this stupid therapy?"

Naruto smiles and chuckles pointing at Suna's local hospital, "Well apparently a patient there is undergoing a somewhat similar situation as you. I kind of signed you up to a community service to be his "therapist" since no one kept that position for a long time. I thought that maybe-"

Sakura clenches her fists and grits her teeth irritated by Naruto, now knowing that he signed her up to something without her consent. "You did what?!"

Naruto shudders a bit and earnestly tries to calm Sakura, "Listen... Talking to him will help you and even him. Killing two birds with one stone, right? Why don't you just try it out... Please? I'm just trying to help you. I'll keep you updated and call you every night to check if things are going great. If not, I'll resign you. Besides.. I uh.. I kind of resigned you from school so you can do this therapy and go to study at Suna. They've got a good college and I heard that they teach well in what you major in."

Sakura grew more irritated at Naruto, but exhales and nodding her head in surrender. "Fine... I'll go. Since I have nothing to do in this city now... Thanks to you..."

"Watch... You will thank me for real later on." Naruto's cheeky smile appears lightening up the stress on her mind.

"_Oh, Naruto.._ _Do you have any idea of what I've gone through? How would you know that the person is going through the same thing as me?_" She thought to herself bitterly at him, but conceals the horrible thought with a fake but genuine-looking smile. "I'll see..."

~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~

The rosette packs in all her belongings inside her suitcase along with miscellaneous items put inside a cargo box. After sealing her box and finishes packing up, a knock on the door is heard from downstairs, indicating that a man was there to pick her belongings and drop them off to her new home in the countryside.

As she paced down the staircase, she encounters her mother going the opposite way. The moment Sakura spots her mother, she decides not to lay an eye and neglects her, pretending she had never existed and continues her way to the door.

A cruel voice then comes from her mother's mouth again, "You think going to the countryside will get you anywhere? Your life is already messed up. I don't think moving out will stop you from killing yourself. How many times have I done that?"

Sakura stops at her tracks and smiles to herself and turns facing her with a smug face, "Well this time... This "vacation" is not from you. So I'm not going to waste it. To be honest, when I do something that has a little something to do with you... I just want to die... But not this time. This is for Naruto."

The mother looks at her not at all phased and goes up to her bedroom, and as for Sakura she headed on and answered the door to see the man come and take her belongings.

"Sorry for the trouble I'm causing you. I don't exactly travel light. Since I might practically live there forever. Thank you so much... um..." She smiles at him and bows in respect.

"My name's Kankuro... It's no problem. It's my job anyway..." He replies with a smile as he wipes his sweat with a towel. "Anyways... Your belongings will be where you want them to be when you arrive there. No worries."

"Thank you. I'll look forward to it." Sakura says again and closes the door, hearing the truck drive away.

She then reaches for her phone and dials Naruto telling him that she is ready for departure.

"I knew I shouldn't have relied on you for being my driver to the bus station. I'm not going to catch my ride thanks to you... The bus leaves in ten minutes..." Sakura says impatiently as she leans on the sill of the car's passenger window.

"Hey! Hey! I told you to call me half an hour before you're done with that guy taking care of your stuff. Now your new house will be full of furniture without a person living in it. Whatever... It's fine, it's fine... I'm almost there. It will take me five more minutes to arrive there and you have five minutes to find the right bus. You'll be on time!"

"I doubt that..." the rosette says hopelessly.

~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~

"Okay! We made it! Happy now?" Naruto says as he pushes Sakura aboard the bus. "Now don't be a bitch and make some new friends at Suna. I'm only with you on the phone, so I can't stop you from having a fit all day from now on!"

"Yeah. I know just shut up, Naruto. You're making a scene..." She says rolling her eyes as she hands her ticket to the driver and sits onto the unoccupied seat by the window seeing Naruto still there waving at her.

His bubbly personality gave Sakura a pleasant feeling but also a melancholy feel to her heart. She was going to miss that knucklehead from elementary school. She was going to miss that heartwarming voice that always lifted her mood. She was going to miss everything about him now that her only source of happiness was fading as the bus begins to move far away from the happy blond boy who was still waving.

She began tearing up a bit as she didn't take her eyes off of Naruto until she had gotten to the point where she can't see him anymore. She then leans back onto her seat and lets her tears trail down her cheeks as the bus takes her to a new destination.

A destination in the countryside of Suna. Where there's a hospital standing and inside a redheaded man of twenty years lying on his bed, nonchalantly looking out the window. The heart monitor beeping endlessly as he hopes that the noise will die out along with him.

_A Slice of Life: Chapter 1_

_End_

~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~

**_a/n: _**Yes! I managed to pull off a chapter out with this recent idea of mine! So what do you think? Should I continue? Reviews are greatly appreciated. It motivates me to continue. No kidding.

**Over and out! **

- Boomey Romey


	2. Chapter 2

**_Slice of Life: Chapter 2_**

_My second entry starts when I finally arrived at Sunagakure. I found out the man's name was Sasori Akasuna who was a patient at the hospital. I didn't know how he looked like yet, but still I blindly judged him. Then again he was the one who unintentionally taught me my first lesson. As did I who taught him the same thing. Judgement. He was not the type of person I expected. He was the complete opposite of what I thought of him to be and that's when I believed that we understood each other's situations._

_~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ _

Sakura steps off the bus and looks around the small town, with a blank expression glued onto her face. She was not at all phased by Suna's welcoming impression and looks through her bag and reaches for a small parchment.

The parchment was written in Naruto's handwriting, messy but legible and it read.

**_Patient: Sasori Akasuna_**

**_Time:__ 12:00 PM - 3:30 PM _**

**_Appointment Days:__ Weekdays_**

**_Place:__ Sunagakure Family Hospital_**

"It's a Sunday. But still, I don't see why I have to babysit this grown man..." She sighs and places it back into her purse and begins to wander the streets of her new town.

She visited almost every shop and vendor in the streets and none of them fascinated her one bit. She sits on a bench, her feet tired and begins to sip her cola she bought from a machine. She looks up at the sky, absentmindedly and exhales deeply.

"_Dad... You must be enjoying your life up there huh...? Why can't I enjoy life like you are now?" _

"Sakura-chan! Answer your phone! It's Naruto~" a sound from the inside of her bad rang.

She sighs sipping her drink again as her phone began to go off with Naruto's ringtone voice ID. She frowns as her peaceful solitude is disturbed and answers the phone unenthusiastically and monotone.

"What do you want now, Naruto? I'm already here. Right now I'm just exploring the wonders of Suna and it's countryside feel..." She says as she slightly tilts her drink left to right with boredom. "Yeah... I know where the hospital is. It's near my house. Yeah... Okay, shut up. And by the way I'm deleting your ringtone."

She then hangs up immediately before Naruto could even reply and closes her eyes again leaning back down on the bench. She thought to herself if this decision was for her own good. She wonders if this new lifestyle could actually make her feel happy about herself again.

Sakura then stands up from her position and stretches, tossing the drink into the bin and heads back to her new house. The house turned out to be a small cottage for one resident and she loved it. She turns her keys and twists the knob seeing the furniture arranged neatly throughout the house. Her luggage was placed neatly inside her bedroom and spots her old dresser back from her mother's house. Her stomach felt wretched after seeing the memento of that witch but decides to not complain. After all she doesn't want to grow up becoming exactly like her mother; a nagging old woman.

~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~

The next day in the afternoon, Sakura arrives at the hospital, the parchment on her hand as she reads it, carefully ensuring that she was heading to the right place. She nods and makes her way inside the building where a receptionist welcomes her.

"What can I help you with today ma'am?" The attendant asks with a forceful smile glued on to her face.

"I'm looking for Sasori... Akasuna's room? Is he staying in this hospital?" The pinkette asks, leaning onto her hand as the lady quickly types up the name on to the computer.

"Why yes... He is a patient here. May I know your relationship with Mr. Akasuna?"

"I'm the new volunteer to accompany him with whatever he's doing..." Sakura replies in monotone as she shows her the application and ID that Naruto had done for her against her will.

"Ah well, he is in Room B159. Right now, he is currently checking in with a Dr. Tsunade for some counseling. You can go on up there and wait until he finishes with his medication. He'll be finished soon, I believe."

"I understand... Thank you." Sakura politely bows and makes her way to the elevator and through the corridor of the hospital till she reaches the room, B159.

The room was completely empty except for the bed, machines, and curtains that all hospital rooms have in default. Other than those, the room was plain, and the walls were almost new as if it was untouched. There wasn't a single picture pinned up onto the boards.

"Looks like he never got any visitors except for the "ex-therapists..." She mumbles as she sits on the side chair and looks around, "No postcards, photos, or anything... Even from the previous volunteers."

The wait for her patient took a prolonged time than she had expected. She sat there blowing her pink locks off her face as well as tapping her feet onto the hard cold floor. Sakura waited inside Sasori's room for a good one hour.

"Fuck this... I'm leaving!" She yells impatiently as she stands up and begins stomping out the room.

As she reached the frame of the door, she crashes onto a young looking man with red hair accompanied by a middle-aged woman with blond hair. The red haired man wore a typical hospital gown, telling Sakura that this was the man that supposedly understands her. The man was silent and unfazed, despite the violent collision between them and did not try to give a glance at the rosette.

"I'm sorry..." Sakura says respectfully, but was completely ignored as the young man just walked back and crawled onto his bed quietly.

"You must be Sasori's new volunteer from Konoha, am I correct?" The blonde woman replies in question for Sasori. "I'm his doctor, Dr. Tsunade. It's nice to meet you. Sorry about Sasori... It's kind of hard to get into his comfort zone. I'm not nearly there yet. Reverse Psychology won't work on him either."

The rosette raises her eyebrows at the doctor's remark,"I understand. I'll look forward to accompanying him. Everyday. Every three hours or so."

"Then if you need anything, I'll be over in my office." Tsunade smiles, waving at her as she leaves. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Sasori."

He gave no reply to the doctor as he sat up on his bed and looked out the window. He appears to be observing the streets of Suna intently as if he wants to remember every single detail of it, but Sakura knew he was just being an asshole. The rosette sighs walking up to Sasori and sits back down onto the seat beside him.

The silence was extended to hours between the two adults. Sakura just sat dully onto the chair waiting for the minutes to pass by till the time for the quiet therapy was up. She was going to kill Naruto- the therapy did not do anything but wasted a good amount of her time. All she did was just sit and tap her feet to the ground while Sasori either gazed out the window, looked around as if he was looking for something in particular, or slept leaving the rosette bored and completely irritated.

She held in her anger till the time was finally up and shot up her seat as her wristwatch told her it was exactly half an hour to four o'clock. She then began to hurriedly power walk out the room until Sasori began to talk to her.

"I'd like it if you won't come back and visit me. It's pointless having to visit me. If you want to help and make me happy, just kill me here and now."

The rosette looked back at Sasori surprised, for one thing, he spoke for the first time and second, for the firm but dark request for death. She didn't reply but gave the man a frightened look and continued on to exit the hospital as her time was up, knowing that there was no need for her to stay there any longer for the day.

As she walked back home, the man's request repeated simultaneously inside her head. She was really surprised and a bit fazed for a second back in the hospital but decided to leave it alone.

She knew she had no right to feel disgusted, after all the request suddenly made her realize what Naruto had been trying to convince her to believe: that the redheaded man who wished for death and the rosette were very much alike.

~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~

By the evening, Sakura lays down on to her bed tired from a whole dull and boring day. She should have seen this coming, after all this is the countryside. Quiet, boring, and awfully witless.

"Hey Sakura-chan! Answer your phone~" The ringer rang vigorously, making the dull evening slightly brighten up.

"_Damn it! I forgot to delete that! _Hello...?" She answers monotone.

"So how was it? Did it help? Is he nice?" Naruto asks immediately.

"No. Resign me. Resign me now, damn it. This is all so pointless." Sakura complains as she closes her eyes, still on the phone with her best friend. "I really don't think this will work out after all. I'm sorry, Naruto. I just think... it's best if I just figure this out myself."

"Killing yourself is not a way to solve your problems. It makes you a coward."

"Yes it is one of the helpful ways..."

Naruto's sigh is heard from the phone as he tries his best to change the subject. "Anyways... No I won't let you. I can ask my dad to suspend you from coming back. How's that sound? So I think it's best if you change your view in life and his as well. Then you can come back to Konoha."

"That's against the law. I can sue you, you know?" Sakura replies plainly.

"I can tell my father, the mayor of Konoha to ban you for your own good. He just as worried about you as I am... Anyways enough talk... How was today with Sasori?"

The thought of Sasori made Sakura feel uneasy again. She didn't know why but she felt as if she had to do something about it. Like it was her fault that he turned out that way.

"He was very girly looking... I thought he would look like a wreck, but he seems to be a healthy looking person. He looks human." Sakura sighs and looks up at the ceiling, "We didn't talk at all. I was tempted to leave this stupid hospital before the time, but I didn't want to let you down."

"I see... Try talking to him tomorrow. Maybe bring him something to eat. Hospital food is horrible."

"Yeah... Okay.. I have to go to sleep. Bye." She sighs and the hangs up.

~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~

"Here you go miss, a bento box with tempura and pork cutlet to-go. Have a great day." The cashier smiles at Sakura as she hands her the food she had ordered.

Sakura gave the cashier a curt nod and makes her way to the hospital. She signs in, and heads towards her client's room quietly, clutching onto the bag of lunch she had gotten for him. As she arrives at the door she gives out a knock before coming in even without Sasori's consent, knowing that he wouldn't bother to look to see who it was.

"I got you lunch..." She says plainly and drops it onto the hospital bed's table in front of the man's face.

"Ah, Sakura... you made it." Tsunade's voice came out from behind making the rosette look back with a small smile. "I'm glad that you're able to come back and use your time help Sasori here."

"Hmph... All of you are the same... Pretending that you care about someone. Stop the nice act you're trying to pull, lady. I can tell you're going to hell one way or another."

Sakura again heard another rare but disgusting comment from the redhead. Although it didn't faze her as much a normal person would, she had to reply. She was after all, a very blunt person.

"Look here, I'm not a nun, that's for sure so don't think I'll be fine with you neglecting and disrespecting me like this. I'm not going to be selfless to someone I don't even know so I'm not going to be like the previous therapists you had." The pinkette raises her eyebrows and preaches with a confident tone, although hurtful to anyone who is being told by it, "I'm going to be real with you. I didn't want to do this, my friend did. He says that I'm going through the same problems as you and talking to you will somehow help me, so I'm doing this for my own benefit. Not yours."

She exhales relieved and then turns to have a talk with the blonde doctor pertaining Sasori's conditions.

The smart remark caused the redheaded man to glance at the young rosette. He was astonished at the unexpected tone of reply he had ever gotten in a while and then eyes at the bag of lunch that was brought for him. He rummaged through it, ignoring the food searching for utensils that were sharp enough for his use. Fortunately for him, he uncovered a small knife and placed it under his pillows before the two could see what he was up to.

"Alright then, Sasori. Your appointment with me will be right after she's done talking with you." Tsunade waves and returns to her office, her footsteps slowly fading into the corridor leaving the two behind the now dead silent hospital room.

"Go on and eat then. It's better than the crappy food here." Sakura mutters quietly as she looks at him for a while and averts her eyes somewhere else.

Sasori then violently shoves the food onto the floor, spilling the fresh feast and staining the white floor with oil and condiments that came along with it, "I don't need it. Nor want it." He says harshly.

"Hah." Sakura scoffs out a chuckle and rolls her eyes sitting down on the chair by the bed just like what she did yesterday, "I'm not cleaning that up."

The rosette sat onto his by the man quietly for hours again. The rosette sat as she fondled with her phone and other things to distract her from boredom with the redheaded man. The silence extended again till there were only minutes left before Sakura could leave the place for the day. With five minutes to spare, she finally decides to stand up, make her way across the room and arrive at the bathroom to wash up.

With this, Sasori finally finds an opening to hurt Sakura. He quietly gets off his bed and takes the knife out, ready to stab, cut, or kill the rosette. He quietly walks across the room making his way into the bathroom to see an occupied rosette washing her face.

"You have no fucking idea what I've gone through..." He hisses at her venomously.

He lifts the knife ready to strike but Sakura finishes and immediately spots the redhead on the mirror and turns around gasping with surprise. Her reaction was different to what Sasori expected it to be, causing him to stop and drop the knife onto the floor as it makes a clanking noise.

"What...? Aren't you going to stab me? Kill me? Trust me, for a second there, I was looking forward to leaving this world..." She says eyeing Sasori intently, showing no fear. "You yourself, don't know what I've been through..."

Sakura sighs, tired of waiting for an answer or reply and passes Sasori leaving the bathroom. She gathers her belongings and exits the hospital room, leaving him all alone again.

Her heart was thumping violently inside her as she made her way out the building. She searches for a nearby bench and sits down clutching onto her drumming chest. Her eyes were letting out small amounts of tears of unknown emotion.

"_Why did I notice him too soon?"_

_A Slice of Life: Chapter 2_

_End_

_~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~_

**_a/n: _**Hellos! Yes! A chapter finished before a week. Maybe my next goal is to finish it before a day. Ahah. That's hard. Well anyways.. Not many reviewed but I really loved the plot of this story I couldn't wait to type the second chapter. Thank you to the readers who read this. My update will come very soon. Bye! Reviews are appreciated.

**Over and Out!**

Boomey Romey


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n: **Hello my lovely readers! It's Boomey Romey again and I have terrible news. School is starting and this is where I lag on update again. I'm sorry, but I'm turning into a junior and this is where real shit is coming in! So in return I will try my best to make this as long as I can! Thank you! Reviews are greatly appreciated! It motivates me and it's my life! (Ahah… yeah…;;)

**Slice of Life**

_I'm a bitch. I grew up from a wealthy family, and never had a single problem with food, shelter and all of those necessities that normal people would need to survive. So yes, I am a well pampered brat that doesn't know the hardships and cruelty of the real world. It's not the wealth that gave me this spoiled attitude. I barely asked anything from my mother but she was the one who made me turn out like this. It's her fault… That is why I despised her. On my third entry, I recently found out that Sasori has been alone from the start. He had a rough life and now I understood why he wanted to kill me. Compared to what I've been through, my life was like heaven._

~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~

"Sakura-chan! Answer your phone~!"

"Hello?" Sakura answers, her voice quite calm despite the happening earlier, "What now Naruto? I'm busy…"

"Checking up on you and your progress… By the way, I think I started a rumor about you. Not intentionally." The heartwarming blond man chuckled sheepishly, "Anyways… when you left, people thought you died."

"So what? You know I would be the last one to care about that. Remember, I tried to kill myself?" Sakura laughs a little and yawns,

"Yeah…" Naruto unwillingly agrees, "Anyways… Anything new happened?"

The pinkette paused for a little while thinking of what to say. She was unsure of whether to tell him what had happened earlier. Since that incident, Sakura grew more curious about the redheaded man. If she were to tell, Naruto would have had her sent back to Konoha. She now realizes that the more the redhead talks, the more curious she gets on to knowing him.

"Not much really, it was the same thing as yesterday and the day before that." Sakura plainly replies as she twirls her pink locks onto her fingers, "Oh yeah, I got him something to eat. He just threw it away and wasted my money. So food won't bribe him into opening up."

"Hah, well just hang on and push through, Sakura… I know through time that you both will help each other. It's been only three days." The boy laughs, "Well I have to go now, Sakura. Please help him and yourself."

The pinkette then hangs up and looks up at the ceiling. She closes her eyes as she replays the scene inside her head. Sakura could not at all forget him and how different he is from everyone. She thought of how much alike the both of them were.

Her phone then went off with melody. This time it was not the annoying familiar tone that indicated Naruto's incoming call. It was the default tone that signaled Sakura it was her mother.

"Hello? Miss Haruno?" A soft and gentle voice spoke from the phone, surprising Sakura as she sat up from her position and averts to a more respectful but natural demeanor.

"Hello, Namikaze-sama. Just call me Sakura." The rosette raises her eyebrows as her honorifics resurface from her, "What brings you to give me a call?"

Minato Namikaze was Naruto's father as well as the mayor of Konoha. He was a highly respected man due to his successful leadership and skills, something Naruto might have inherited. He resembled his own son greatly; he had blond hair and blue eyes just like Naruto. Although they were father and son, Naruto was nothing like his father.

"Sakura… I know you live in Sunagakure right now, but as a reminder I'm holding a formal banquet here in Konoha tomorrow. I'm sure that Naruto has mentioned it to you?"

"No he didn't. Your son hasn't told me a single banquet related thing." Sakura raises her eyebrows, her suspicions for Naruto rising.

"My apologies, Sakura. I was sure Naruto sent you an invitation to your mother at least." His calm voice spoke out again, "Oh well then… It's going to be at the city hall at noon. Please come…"

Sakura clenched onto her phone with instinctive anger, as she hears her mother's involvement of the conversation. This did not surprise Sakura though, but the word "mother" gave Sakura a natural negative reaction towards her. The rosette's mother was the only thing that fazed Sakura into overreacting and yelling.

"I'll be there. Alright then. Bye." She then hangs up and throws her phone down onto the bed.

She lies back down onto her bed thinking of tomorrow. What was the use of tomorrow for her? She hated the future and tries her best to leave her stupid life; even resulting to suicide. She looks around and spots a sharp shard on the ground. Maybe she was able to die tonight without anymore intrusions? She was all alone in the cottage after all. The pinkette sits back up again and reaches for the shard, observing it's tip if it's sharp enough to break skin. She holds the shard and places it onto her wrists motionless, as one brushing movement can easily rip the skin open. Then she thought about what she was doing here in the first place. She was then reminded by an inner personality to fulfill the promise she made for Naruto; "Don't die and give up on life. Please…"

She sighs and drops the shard to her side. The image of a saddened and disappointed Naruto flashed into her head had caused her to have second thoughts in dying. She places the shard inside the drawers of her dresser and goes back onto her bed where she was able to continue on with a silent undisturbed slumber.

~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~

Sakura crossed her arms as she waited for Naruto to come by her house and pick her up. She wore a simple white dress that complimented her fair skin and a navy blazer that determined her absolute personality; sophistication. She decided to not attend today's volunteering for Sasori as she was sure that she was doing him and herself a favor.

After a while, Naruto finally arrives to attain her. He wore a formal black suit that gave him the appearance of a mature and calm gentleman, making Sakura laugh a bit. She knew that Naruto was not calm and stoic but she knew that despite his hyperactivity, he was more mature than she will ever be.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto calls out to his best friend followed by a series of obnoxious honks from his car making Sakura have a bit of second thoughts to his maturity, "Hurry up! We're going to be late!"

"Yes… I'm coming, Naruto. Please be patient…" Sakura calmly replies as she boards onto the car and takes off to Konoha.

The drive was decent for Sakura as her best friend was with her the entire ride. Naruto was able to spark a small smile from Sakura's frequent stoicism. The small but genuinely amused grin meant a lot to the pinkette as only a few people were able to pull it out from her.

The two friends arrived quite early as only the two of them were inside the hall. Sakura frowns, crossing her arms frustrated at the countless mistakes he has done. She felt the urge to punch him to his unconsciousness like back in high school, but then realized she's long passed her age to be thrashing Naruto around like punch bag.

"Well… Guess we were a little too early. Aha…Sorry I didn't tell you but I was supposed to be really early to take care of things…" The blond man says sheepishly as his nervousness of getting beaten by Sakura surfaces through him when he scratches his head. "Would you like to dance? The dance floor is just ours."

"Forget it." Sakura curtly replies walking away to an unoccupied table and sits down quietly.

Slowly but surely, guests began to enter the hall creating a lively atmosphere in the party. Sakura on the other hand, sat onto her seat quietly as she watches Naruto welcome the guests along with his father and mother. After a while, her stomach began to beg for food and Sakura finally got up to grab some confections from the food table. Her mood then suddenly started to lighten up after filling her completely empty stomach with sweets she favored the most.

"Sakura-san…" The same mellow voice from the phone last night spoke from behind the rosette.

Immediately, Sakura spun to the voice's direction and gave a smile to the man to which it belonged to.

"Hello Namikaze-sama!" She greets with a bow and a respectful smile. "Thank you for the invitation. I'm sure it wasn't Naruto's fault. I think my mother forgot to inform me about this party."

Minato gives her a reassuring smile and nods, "I'm glad you were able to make it here, despite the last minute reminder. If I have known sooner you were oblivious to it I should have had Naruto give you an invitation for yourself. Please enjoy yourself."

"It's alright really. Please don't apologize…"

Minato gave another heartwarming smile before leaving Sakura alone again. She sighs leaning back onto the food table and looks around. She didn't really see the need to attend the party anyway; she wasn't even sure why there was a party or why she was even invited.

From a distance, Naruto began to walk towards her, tired looking and devastated. Sakura couldn't help but smile again at him, seeing him complete his job successfully brought great surprise to her. Afterwards, the hall became a pandemonium of chattering people- mostly business or political related which didn't spark any interest to both the friends.

"Ah there's your mother, Sakura-chan. Let me go and greet her quickly." Naruto exclaims, patting her shoulder and sprints up to the older rosette that happened to be attending the party with a certain familiar family of business.

She turns and spots her mother, her chest pumping with pure hatred now. To make things worse her mother came with someone who Sakura despised as much as her own mother. Sasuke Uchiha, the prodigy and heir to one of the biggest businesses in Konoha was supposedly betrothed to Sakura who was about five years younger than he was.

How cruel can her own mother be to her own daughter? She had brought along the man that caused the conflict between them. She couldn't stand it and turned around facing away from the mother and the young man. Sakura knew it was futile; her pink locks made her stand out from the crowd and sighs.

"What a wonderful party you're having Naruto-kun." Mebuki Haruno smiles as she looks around the hall and suddenly spots a woman with hair similar to her own and raises her eyebrows. "Sakura is here. I thought she was supposed to be at Sunagakure."

"I went over there to pick her up." Naruto smiles innocently, unaware of the situation between the mother and daughter.

"I see…" The mother raises her eyebrows and continues on with the party with the Uchihas following after him.

Before Naruto was able to turn around to reunite with the pinkette, Sakura ran outside the hall and into the parking lot. Her eyes were flooded with tears that she had been holding back. She walks wearily onto the parking lot before she stumbles onto a fancy car with the family crest of the Uchiha. She stares at the crest intently for a while before noticing that her own mother's car was parked right next to theirs.

Her cries soon became laughs of annoyance and hatred as she clenches her fist again. She looks around for anything metal or heavy. She searches and searches until finally she spots a metal crowbar leaning onto a wall minding its own business. The rosette's face was stained with a smirk as she picks it up and heads over to the car. She lifts her arms, the crowbar ready to bluntly damage the Uchiha's car. She hammers onto the hood of the car following with a hit on the windshield, shattering it, causing the glass to fly in multiple directions managing to inflict cuts onto the rosette's cheek. She then turns around to the car that belonged to her mother and raises her arms about to do the same thing she did with the Uchiha's vehicle, smashing and demolishing the mirrors and glasses of the car.

"Sakura! What in the world have you done?" The mother's voice cracked with shock as she yells across the parking lot as she was about to get something she had forgotten in her car. "You… Sakura!"

She turns her head slowly as she hears her mother's shocked of the scene. Sakura slowly paces towards her own mother who has fallen to her knees. She raises her crowbar at her ready to strike at her mother's head her wish to kill her about to be granted. The rosette was ready to murder her own mother, but finally realizes what she is doing before striking and gasps as she drops the crowbar onto the ground as it makes a clanking noise to its collision. She looks at her mother who was trembling with shock and backs away, running far, far away from her and the party.

She runs toward the bus station not bothering to stop and rest and manages to catch the last bus back to Suna. She takes her seat by the window and laughs a bit as she cries hysterically. She laughs to herself as she reminded herself of what had happened eight years ago.

"_M-mom!" A twelve year old Sakura trembles in her wrinkled and unbuttoned clothes as she clutches on to her mother's dress, "Sasuke… H-He… Mother… He…"_

_An unexpected shove was inflicted on the young rosette as the mother she thought that would give her comfort pulled away from her grasp. _

"_Mother…! Please!" She begged for helped again._

_The mother rosette lifted her hand and slapped the young Sakura. She clutches onto her shoulder and scolds her with annoyance and anger. The look on Sakura's eyes was filled with shock as the mother who supposedly protect and comfort her hurt her more instead. _

"_Don't tell anything about this, Sakura. You hear me! I don't care what he does to you; he's your future husband. So let him do whatever he pleases with you! You spoiled brat!" She exclaims again as she shakes her violently and pinches her ears as punishment._

"_Ah! Mother, please!" She cries out in pain as she earnestly tries to pull away from her mother's hurtful hold. "Stop mom! It hurts! Please!"_

_~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ _

The flashback ran through her head during the bus drive. She looks out the window as her stop became closer and closer, the blood on her face from the cuts now dry from the hours that had passed during the ride back.

Her wish for death resurfaced again, but this time it was great. The desire to leave life and join her father in heaven was pumping to her mind. She swore to herself, that once she arrives home, she will kill herself and she will be sure that no one will come and saver her life.

As the bus finally arrives, Sakura paces slowly towards her small cottage. She took her time walking as she thought of the many ways she could kill herself. Hang her self on the ceiling? Drown her self in the bathtub? Slit her throat? Her mind was full of creative ideas into killing herself.

As she entered her home she searched through every room for anything lethal. She pulled out the shard from the day before today, a rope, and pills. To her disappointment, the pills were not sleeping pills, but these were good enough.

She opened the cap of the container and shook it releasing countless tablets that were enough to kill her. She made sure she won't survive. If she were to live through this attempt, she would go mad. She takes one last look at the handful of pills before taking it into her mouth. She chews onto it; hearing sounds of breaking drugs in the inside of her mouth and swallows it completely.

She walks toward her bed as her eyesight became hazy, and she grew weary as the symptoms of drug overdose were taking effect on the young rosette. She lies down onto her soft mattress and in a matter of moments, Sakura could only see darkness and that's when she liked it.

She was in a dream. She walked around the endless abyss of her mind as she looks around. There was nothing to look at, she thought as there was nothing but endless pathways to nowhere. She then hears a footsteps walking behind her, she looked back to see nothing but blackness and decided to move on. Then the footsteps began run quickly behind her as if it was chasing Sakura. She sprints her fastest but the footsteps were too fast and it was catching up. As the noise was coming closer and closer, she couldn't help but look back and scream.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto's disembodied voice was heard through the darkness of the rosette's mind.

~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~

She wakes up suddenly as she gasps for more air. She was very alive. The room was filled with white walls, she looked down at herself and notices she was wearing a hospital gown and hears the beeps of the machine. She looks forward to see the redheaded man glance at her with no hint of emotion pasted on his features before averting his gaze back onto the window.

Looks like someone had found her and took her to the hospital quickly as possible. Coincidently, she was put in the same room as the redheaded man who she was to help with his problems. Now she knows that he knows that she herself has mental deficiency.

She buries her face onto her hands as she begins to sob. She had failed to die again. She couldn't believe that she was still breathing. Her life isn't needed in this world, so why would god keep refusing to take her and have her happiness with her own father?

"I... can't… believe this…" She grasps onto her pink locks as tears began to trail down her cheeks.

Sasori glances at the rosette quietly, observing her every movement, "What did you do to make you come here?" He asks quietly, almost muttering.

She looks up at him half surprised. Was he concerned for her or was he just curious to know how spoiled she is.

"Suicide… _Again._ It's a great talent of mine. Having to die and revive over and over again." Sakura replies casually as she leans back onto her bed and blankly looks over at the machine.

"You spoiled little rich girl. Do you even know anything about hard life?" Sasori scoffs as he looks out the window, Sakura smiles a little as the repetitive comment came out from another person's mouth.

"So I've been told…" The pinkette scoffs back as she looks away. "I was sure that I took enough to die. I think I'm some type of immortal who needs to suffer."

"You grew up with everything you wanted. You have money, a house, and all those things that girls would die for. You say your life is shit and don't know what you're going through. For one day I would like you to live my life and let's see if you survived." His hissed bluntly and scathingly.

"I!" She interrupted impatiently, "…was raped... when I was twelve. Before this incident… There was a formal party back in Konoha and my mother had the nerve to bring the same man who ruined me."

Sasori's eyebrows furrowed but continued on to listen.

Sakura sighs again and continues on, "I ran to my mother for help, but then was scolded for being a bitch and not listening. She told me to shut up and grow up about it. Even hitting me after what I've gone through, for all this time she never thought of me but herself. Sasuke… was his name and we were years apart and he raped me. From that moment on, I never had a real mother. I never had parents- my father died when I was young so I didn't remember him well."

"…" Sasori looks down and then out the window, but his ears were listening to every word of Sakura's story.

"I've never seen a crueler mother than mine- calling me a bitch and such. Back in the party I had a chance. A chance to kill her. We were alone in the parking lot and I had something lethal enough to kill a human being in my hand. I was close… I wanted to be in prison for a second, and maybe rot to death in the cell…"

She stops as she realizes she had been telling him her dark secret- a secret that even Naruto doesn't know about. Sakura had also been crying as tears trailed down her cheeks again but wipes it immediately.

"I apologize… I've said too much…" The rosette sniffles and looks at him trying to regain her composure.

She crosses her arms and spots a clock from the room, indicating it was half passed twelve. Sakura smiles to herself and crosses her arms and leans back getting comfortable in the bed. It was therapy session coincidently making Sakura sigh.

"Well… You've listened to what I had to say. If you're willing to tell me what's wrong I'll be listening… So talk …"

"You're still going on about that? What's there to talk about? The whole therapy or counseling thing is pointless, lady." Sasori gave a smile for the first time towards the rosette and leans back to his bed again.

"To start off… Why are you in this stupid hospital? You're young and you look decent, go to the outside world. You have been observing it."

Sasori looks down at his hands and sighs, his hazy brown orbs appearing blank. The blood haired man had never talked about his past to anyone before. But somehow he felt comfortable talking to the pink haired girl who was lying on a bed across from him.

_Sasori grew up having no mere memory of his parents. He was abandoned at the age of one and was taken in by her grandma. Her grandmother was a fighter and did all she could to keep Sasori alive and called her, "Chiyo-baa." She worked late shifts at the hospital, tutor children, and even cater. Late at night, the redheaded boy would sit outside their house and wait for his grandma to come home, and every time Sasori had seen her face, she appeared really tired and exhausted but despite all that, she always had a smile on her face. _

"_C-Chiyo-baa?"A small redheaded boy woke up from the abnormal stillness and motionless his grandmother was giving him. "A-are you alright, Chiyo-baa?"_

_The small redheaded boy sat up from the bed and shook her trying to wake her up. Chiyo-baa didn't respond nor budged a muscle. She wasn't breathing at all; her skin was gray and cold as ice. Despite all that, Sasori futilely begged and cried for his only hope to live on to come back._

_Unfortunately for him, Chiyo-baa then died of a heart disease when he was twelve years old. She kept that burden a secret from her grandson as he didn't want him to worry. Afterwards, Sasori's personality changed drastically from a caring lovable boy to a cold hearted person. For he was only a child, Sasori was not able to work and pay for the house and was forced to live in the streets. He slept in the subway and lived off of leftovers that were in the trash._

Sasori laughs bitterly as he remembers everything clearly from beginning to end and leaned back sighing as he looks at Sakura with a smirk on his face. The redheaded man sighs and began to tell her his own deep secret that he never told anyone else as well. He thought that the rosette deserved what she wished for from him and that was someone who understood him. And that person was Sasori himself.

"I had no parents as well… They left me when I was a newborn and my grandmother took me in. I had no idea that someone who was fucking cruel was a son to that kind old woman who raised me for a decade." Sasori started, "Chiyo-baa was what I called her and she did everything in her power to raise me and keep me alive. I didn't know that she was also dying of a _hereditary_ illness."

Sakura's eye contact didn't break from Sasori as she continued to listen to his story.

"Yet, she had to keep on living and raise me right until she finally she wasn't able to wake up. From then on, I was alone living in the streets. By the time I was sixteen I prostituted myself to survive…" He laughs a bit, "Then I came here to stay fours years later. The hospital owed Chiyo a debt from something she had down for them and to repay her, I was able to live in the hospital as a patient who suffers from depression. I just laughed at the ridiculous idea of having a volunteer who did not understand me one bit counsel me about my problems. "

From there on, they both knew. They realized that the only person who could understand Sakura was Sasori and the one who could understand Sasori was Sakura. They taught each other a lesson they never learned how to show before.

_**Understanding.**_

_Slice of Life: Chapter 3_

_End_

_~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ _

**a/n: **Whoop! Third chapter done! Enjoyed it?! Hope you did.. Ahah. I hope you both now see the bond with the cutest pair! (sasosaku in my opinion…;;) Some errors here and there because it was too long for my patience for correction. Sorry about that loves. Back to school… More like back to hell.

**Over and Out!**

Boomey Romey


End file.
